Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley

Published On: Mar 11 2013 12:27:07 PM EDT

As archbishop of Boston, O'Malley has faced the fallout from the church's abuse scandals for nearly a decade. The fact he is mentioned at all as a potential papal candidate is testament to his efforts to bring together an archdiocese at the forefront of the abuse disclosures.

Like other American cardinals, the papal prospects for the 68-year-old O'Malley suffer because of the accepted belief that many papal electors oppose the risk of having US global policies spill over, even indirectly, onto the Vatican's image.